.C45 



DC 232 



.C42 

CODV 1 



EXPOSITION 



OF T»E 



PRACTICES AND MACHINATIONS 



WHICH LED TO THE 



USURPATION OF THE CROWN OF SPAIN, 



AXD THE MEANS ADOPTED BY THE 



EMPEROR OF THE FRENCH 



TO CARRY IT INTO EXECUTION. 



By don PEDRO CEV-ALLOS, 

FIRST SECRETARY OF STATE AND DISPATCHES TO HIS 
CATHOLIC MAJESTY, FERDINAND ArU.^ 



BOSTON : 7^ 

Published sr WILLIAM WELLS, Ao. 6, CouRt-SfRRRf. 

OLIVER 55* MUNROE, PRIHT'ERS. 



3e,6 



THIS narative of the infamous plans and 
machinations by which Bonaparte compelled 
Ferdinand VII. to renounce his right to the 
Throne of Spain, is furnished by M. Cevallos, 
Minister of foreign affairs under the late and pre- 
sent King of Spaiuy who was forced into the suite 
of the soi-disant King Joseph, but seized the first 
opportunity to effect his escape from that odious 
service. The documents in proof of this statement 
are too voluminous for publication within the lim- 
its of short pamphlet. Among them is a copy of 
the secret Treaty and Convention entered into be- 
tween Bonaparte and Charles IV, relative to 
the conquest and partition of Portugal. Some 
parts of that Kingdom were to be given to the King 
ofETRURiA; others to the Prince of Peace » The 
imbecile Monarch of Spain was to assume the title 
of Emperor of the two Americas. 



EXPOSITION, &c. 



*' AT a period when the nation has made and 
continues to make the most heroic efforts to 
shake off the yoke of slavery, attempted to be impo- 
sed upon it, it is the duty of all good citizens to 
contribute, by every means in their power, to en- 
lighten it with respect to the real causes that have 
brought it into its present situation, and to keep up 
the noble spirit by which it is animated. 

^' To make known to Spain and the whole 
world the base means, resorted to by the Emperor 
of the French to seize the person of our King, Fer- 
dinand VII. and to subjugate this great and gene- 
rous nation, is a duty well worthy of one who, like 
myself, is in a condition to discharge it ; inasmuch 
as circumstances placed me in a situation to be an 
eyew itness of the events which preceded the catas- 
trophe of Bayonne, and in which I bore a part. It 
was not in my power to do this before, in conse- 
quence of personal restraint, and from not having 
collected the documents necessary to accredit 
my statement. Some are still wanting, w^hlch it 
was necessary to burn, in consequence of dangerous 
circumstances, in which every thing was to be fear- 
ed ; others have disappeared through the various 
incidents connected with that unhappy period ; but 
those which I now present are sufficient to prove 
the atrocious violence committed against our belov- 
ed King Ferdinand VII. and the whole nation. 

*' Though the conduct of Spain towards France 
since the peace of Basle, a very interesting portion 
of its political history, in these latter times, is inti- 
mately connected with the important events wliich 



form the subject of this Exposition, it is not neces- 
sary to dwell even on its principal periods. It will 
be sufficient to state what the whole nation, and all 
Europe, knows, that the political system of Spain 
has constantly been during this time to preserve the 
friendship and the best understanding with France, 
and to maintain, at all hazards, the ruinous alliance 
concluded in 1796. 

" To attain this end, there is no sacrifice which 
Spain has not made ; and as the preservation of the 
Prince of Peace in the high degree of favour he en- 
joyed with Charles IV. depended, in a great mea- 
sure, upon the continuance of this system, it was 
maintained with the greatest constancy and indefa- 
tigable attention. Fleets, armies, treasure, every 
thing was sacrificed to France ; humiliations, sub- 
missions, every thing was suffered, every thing was 
done to satisfy, as far as possible, the insatiable de- 
mands of the French Government, but the idea ne- 
ver once occurred of preserving the nation against 
the machinations af an Ally, who was over-ruuning 
Europe. 

"The treaty of Tilsit, in which the destiny of the 
world seemed to be decided in his favour, was hard- 
ly concluded;, v/hen he turned his eyes towards the 
West, and resolved on the ruin of Portugal and 
Spain ; or, what comes to the same purpose, to 
make himself master of this vast Peninsula, with a 
view of making its inhabitants as happy as those of 
Italy, Holland, Switzerland, and the League of the 
Rhine. 

" At this very time, the Emperor was revolving 
in his mind some designs fatal to Spain (for he be- 
gan to disarm her,) by demanding a respectable bo- 
dy of our troops to exert their valour in remote re- 
gions, and for foreign interests. This he effected 
without difficulty, and there was placed at his dispo- 
sal a gallant and picked force of 16000 men of all 
descriptions. 

" The enterprize of making himself master of 



Spain was not so easy as Napoleon imagined. It 
was above all, necessary to find out some pretext 
for carrying into execution the daring and gigantic 
plan of subjugating a friendly and allied nation, that 
had made so many sacrifices for France, and which 
this very Emperor had praised for its fidelity and 
nobleness of character. 

*' Nevertheless, being accustomed to act with that 
disregard to delicacy in the choice of his means, 
which is characteristic of the man, who imagines 
that the conquest of the whole world, the destruc- 
tion of the human species, and the havock of war, 
are conducive to true glory, he resolves to excite 
and foment discord in the Royal Family of Spain, 
through his Ambassador at this Court. 

" The latter, though perhaps not initiated in the 
grand secret of his Master, succeeded in seducing 
the Prince of Asturias, our present King and Mas- 
ter, and suggested to him the idea of intermarrying 
with a princess related to the Emperor. The afflic- 
tion which his Highness laboured under, from a con- 
junction of circumstances, as lamentable as notori- 
ous, and his anxiety to avoid another connection into 
which it was attempted to force him, with a lady se- 
lected for him by his greatest enemy, and on that 
account alone the object of his aversion, induced 
him to acquiesce in the suggestions of the Ambas- 
sador, but with the stipulation that it was to meet 
the approbation of his august Parents, and under the 
impression that it would strengthen the friendship 
and alliance then subsisting between the two Crowns. 
His Highness, actuated by motives so cogent in a 
political point of view, and yielding to the solicita- 
tions of the Ambassador, wrote accordingly to his 
Imperial Majesty. 

*' A few days after our beloved Prince wrote this 
letter, occurred the scandalous imprisonment of his 
august person in tlie Royal Monastery oi' St. Lau- 
rence, and the still more scandalous decree which 
was issued in the name of the King, and addressed 



6 

to the Council of Castile. There are very strong 
reasons to believe, that the unknown hand that 
frustrated this feigned conspiracy was some French 
agent employed to forward the^lan which Napole- 
on had formed. 

*' Fortunately the Spanish nation was deeply im- 
pressed with its situation, entertained a just opinion 
of the good disposition and religious principles of 
their Prince of Asturias, and suspected instantane- 
ously that the whole was a calumny fabricated by 
the Favourite, as absurd as it was audacious, in or- 
der to remove the only obstacle which then opposed 
his views. 

*' It is already known, that on the imprisonment 
of the Prince of Asturias, his Royal Father wrote 
to the Emperor, no doubt, at the suggestion of the 
Favourite, complaining of the conduct of the Am- 
bassador Beaunarnois, in his clandestine communi- 
cations with the prince of Asturias, and expressing 
his surprise that the Emperor had not come to a pre- 
vious understanding with His Majesty, on a subject 
of such pre-eminent importance to sovereigns. 

" As the imprisonment of the Prince of Asturias, 
and, above all, the most scandalous decree fulminat- 
ed against his Royal Person, produced an effect com- 
pletely contrary to the expectations of the Favour- 
ite, he began to be afraid; thought proper ro recede, 
and to mediate a reconciliation between the Royal 
Parents and their Son. With this view, as is stat- 
ed in the Abstract of the Escurial Cause, circulated 
by the Council in consequence of His Majesty's 
orders of the 8th April, he forged certain letters, and 
made the Prince of Asturias sign them while a pris- 
oner, which being delivered into the hands of the 
Royal Parents, were supposed to have softened their 
hearts ; and by these singular means did this inno- 
cent Prince obtain a nominal liberty. 

" This was the state of affairs when a French 
Courier arrived at the Royal Palace of St. Law- 
renre, with a treaty concluded and signed at Fon- 



tainbleau, on the 27th of October, by Don Eugenio 
Isquierdo, as Plenipotentiary of His Catholic Ma- 
jesty, and Marshal Duroc, in the name of the Em- 
peror of the French. Its contents, as well as those 
of the separate Convention, constitute Nos. 1, 2, of 
the documents annexed to this Exposition. 

" It is worthy of observation, that the department 
of the Ministry, of which I was at the head, was to- 
tally unacquainted with the measures taken by Don 
E. Isquierdo, at Paris, as well as with his appoint-* 
ment, his instructions, his correspondence, and ev- 
ery part of his proceedings. 

" The result of this treaty was to render the Em- 
peror master of Portugal with very little expense ; 
to furnish him with a plausible pretext for introdu- 
cing his armies into our Peninsula, with the intent 
of subjugating it at a proper opportunity, and to put 
him in immediate possession of Tuscany. 

" The Favourite was to have for his portion the 
Algarves and Alantejo, in full property and sove- 
reignty, but the Emperor's answer to the letters of 
the Royal Father had not yet arrived ; it was com- 
pletely uncertain what it would be, and this filled 
him with fear and anxiety. 

" The intimate relations which the Favourite 
maintained at that period with the Grand Duke of 
Berg, through the medium of his confidant, Isquier- 
do, flattered him to a certain degree with the hope 
that every thing would be settled to his wishes, 
though the interposition of a few millions might be 
necessary. But neither the Favourite nor his con- 
fidant knew the real intentions of the person they 
were treating with at Paris. In fact, the instant the 
Emperor found that the Favourite had committed 
himself, and the Royal Parents were brought into 
discredit, he shewed no disposition to answer His 
Majesty's letters, for the purpose of keeping them 
in suspense, and inspiring them with dread, in the 
hope that they might form the resolution of with- 
drawing, though at that time he had not completed 



8 

his plan for taking an advantage of such an occur- 
rence. 

♦* The Grand Duke wrote to the favourite, that 
he would employ every means to support him. but 
that the negotiation was rendered very delicate, ow- 
ing to the extraordinary attachment which prevail- 
ed in Spain towards the Prince of Asturias, and 
the consideration due to a Princess who was cousin 
to the Empress, and in consequence of the part 
which the Ambassador, Beauharnois, her relative, 
took in the business. (1) 

" Now it was that the Favourite began clearly to 
discover how much his credit had sunk ; and he gave 
himself up for lost, in consequence of being depriv- 
ed of the support of his imaginary protector, the 
Emperor of the French. There were no means 
now neglected by him to endeavour to ingratiate 
himself with the Grand Duke of Berg, every sort 
of expression, every kind of deference was employ- 
ed for this purpose ; and the more effectually to a- 
vert the impending storm, he prevailed on the Roy- 
al Parents to wTite to the Emperor direct, and to re- 
quest his consent to the marriage of one of his cou- 
sins to the Prince of Asturias. 

*' Meanwhile the Emperor of the French appear- 
ed to be very much dissatisfied with the conduct of 
Isquierdo, and kept him at a distance, in order 
to cut off his direct mode of communication, and to 
make himself more impenetrable. 

" His Imperial Majesty set off on a journey to 
Italy, with that studied parade which all Europe has 
witnessed, giving it such an air of importance, that 
it was to be presumed he was going to fix the des- 
tinies of the world. But there is reason to surmise, 
that his real object was no other than to divert the 
general attention to that quarter, for the purpose of 
misleading the other States, whilst his real designs 

(i) All this appears from the correspondence of the Favourite 
with the Grand Duke, which the latter carried oif from the office 
©f the Secretary of State, during- his Lieutenancy. 



were directed to the invasion of Portugal and 
Spain. 

*' This artifice and dissimulation did not, how- 
ever, prevent the discovery of one of the articles in 
the secret treaty of Fontainbleau, by his expelling, 
with the greatest precipitancy, from Tuscany, the 
Queen Regent and her children, and plundering 
the Royal Palace, and seizing all the publick funds 
of a Court that was ignorant of the existence of 
such a treaty, and had committed no act of forfei- 
ture. 

*' Whilst the Emperor kept Europe in suspense 
by his journey to Milan and Venice, he thought fit 
to answer the. letters, which he had some time be- 
fore received from the Royal Father, assuring His 
Majesty, that he never had the slightest informa- 
tion of the circumstances which he communicated 
respecting his son the Prince of Asturias, nor ever 
received any letter from his Royal Highness (2.) 
Nevertheless His Majesty consented to the pro- 
posed intermarriage with a Princess of his family, 
undoubtedly with an intention of amusing the Roy- 
al Parents ; whilst he was sending into Spain, un- 
der various pretexts, all the troops which he had 
then disposable, and was studiously propagating an 
id6a that he was favourable to the cause of the 
Prince of Asturias, and thus endeavouring to cap- 
tivate the good opinion of the Spanish nation. 

** The Royal Parents, struck with the terror which 
this conduct of the Emperor naturally inspired, and 
the Favourite being still more astonished, opposed 
no obstacle to the entrance of the French troops in- 
to the peninsula ; on the contrary, they gave the 
most effectual orders that they should be received 
and treated even on a better footing than the Span- 
ish troops. 

(2.) Compare this statement with the contents of the letter 
(No 3,) from his Imperial Majesty to King Ferdinand, in which 
he acknowledges having received the letter written to him by 
the Pi-lnce of Asturias, on the suggestion of Ambatsador Bran- 
hurr.oib. 9 



10 ^ ■■' 

" The Emperor, under the pretence of consulting 
the security of these troops, ordered his Generals, 
by stratagem or force, to get possession of the for- 
tresses of Pampeluna, St. Sebastian, Figuieras, and 
Barcelona, which* alone could present any obstacle 
to an invasion. They were accordingly taken by 
fraud and surprise, to the indignation and sorrow of 
the whole nation, to which the French still affected 
to profess friendship and alliance. 

" The Emperor,, conceiving himself already mas- 
ter of ail Spain, and thinking the time had arrived 
for accelerating his measures, thought proper to 
write a letter to the Royal Father, complaining, in 
the bitterest terms, that His Majesty had not re- 
newed his application for an Imperial Princess for 
his son the Prince of Asturias. The King was 
pleased to return for answer, that he adhered to his 
former proposal, and was willing that the marriage 
should immediately take place. 

*' Some important proceeding was still necessa- 
ry to carry the project to a proper degree of matu- 
rity, and the Emperor, not willing to trust it to 
writing, thought he could not find a better instru- 
ment than Don Eugenio Isquierdo, whom he had 
detained in Paris in a state of great dejection and 
terror, that had been artfully impressed upon him 
for the purpose of his more effectually executing 
his commission by impressing the Royal Parents 
and the favourite with the same feelings. 

" In this state of things, the Emperor ordered 
Isquierdo to repair to Spain, which he accordingly 
did, in a very precipitate and mysterious manner. 
According to his verbal statements, he brought no 
proposal in writing w4th him, nor was he to re- 
ceive any, and he had orders to remain only three 
days. 

** On his arrival, under these circumstances, at 
Aranjuez, the favourite conducted him to the pre- 
sence of the Royal Parents, and their conferences 
were conducted with so much secrecy, that it was 



11 

impossible for any one to discover the object of 
his mission ; but soon after his departure from 
this capital, their Majesties began to shew a dispo- 
sition to abandon the metropolis and the peninsula, 
and to emigrate to Mexico. 

** The recent example of the determination 
taken by the Royal Family of Portugal, seemed to 
have fully corresponded with the views of the Em- 
peror, and there is reason to think that His Impe- 
rial xMajesty promised himself a similar success in 
Spain. 

" But he must have been very ignorant of the 
Spanish character to flatter himself with such ex- 
pectations. Scarcely had the first reports gone 
abroad of the intention of the Royal Family to aban- 
don their residence, a resolution clearly indicated 
by the many preparations which were going on, 
when discontent and fear were depicted in the 
most lively colours in the features of all the inhabi- 
tants of the capital, and of all ranks and classes of 
persons. This alone was sufficient to induce their 
Majesties to refute the rumour, and to assure the 
people that they would not abandon them. 

" Nevertheless, such was the general distrust, 
such the magnitude of the evils which must have 
resulted, and such and so many the symptoms of a 
determination to emigrate, that every one was on 
the alert, and all seemed to be impressed with the 
necessity of preventing a measure pregnant with 
so many mischiefs. The danger increased, and 
the fears of the publick kept pace with it. The 
consequence was, that the commotions of Aranjuez, 
on the 17th and 19th of March, burst forth like a 
sudden explosion ; the people being led by a sort 
of instinct of self-preservation. The result was, 
the imprisonment of the Favourite, who, without 
the title of King, had exercised all the functions of 
Royalty. 

" Scarcely had this tempestuous scene taken 
place, when the Royal Parents, finding themselves 



12' 

deprived of the support of their Favourite, took 
the unexpected but voluntary resolution which 
they had for some time entertained, to abdicate 
their throne, as they accordingly did, in favour of 
their son and heir the Prince of Asturias. 

*' The Emperor, ignorant of this sudden event, 
and perhaps never supposing that the Spaniards 
were capable of displaying such resolution, had or- 
dered Prince Murat to advance with his army to- 
wards Madrid, under the idea that the Royal Fami- 
ly were already on the coast, and on the point of 
embarking, and that far from meeting the slightest 
obstacle on the part of the people, all of them 
would receive him with open arms, as their deliver- 
er and guardian angel. He conceived that the na- 
tion was, in the highest degree, dissatisfied with 
their Government, and never reflected that they 
Were only dissatisfied with the abuses which had 
crept into the administration of it. 

" The instant the Grand Duke of Berg was ap- 
prized of the occurrences at Aranjuez, he advanced 
"with his whole army to occupy the capital of the 
kingdom : intending, no doubt, to profit by the 
occasion, and to take such steps as should be 
best calculated to realise, by any means, the plan 
of making himself master of Spain. 

" In the mean while, the mysterious obscurity of 
the Emperor's, projects, the proximity of his troops, 
and the ignorance in which Ferdinand VII. was of 
the real object of the Emperor^s approach, induced 
the King to adopt such measures as appeared to 
His Majesty best calculated to conciliate the good 
will of the Emperor. Not satisfied with having 
communicated his accession to the Throne in the 
most friendly and affcGtionate terms, the King ap- 
pointed a deputation of three Grandees of Spain to 
proceed to Bayonne, and in his name to -compli- 
ment his Imperial Majesty. He also appointedan. 
other Grandee of Spain to pay a similar compli- 



15 

ment to the Grand Duke of Berg, who had already- 
arrived in the vicinity of Madrid. 

*' One of the contrivainces which the French a- 
gent immediately had recourse to, was to assure 
the King, and to spread the rumour in all quarters, 
that His Imperial Majesty's arrival might be ex- 
pected every moment. Under this impression, the 
necessary orders were given for preparing apart- 
ments in the Palace, suitable to the dignity of so 
august a guest ; and the King wrote again to the 
Emperor, how agreeable it would be to him to be 
personally acquainted with His Majesty, and to 
assure him, with his own lips, of his ardent wishes 
to strengthen more and more the alliance which 
subsisted between the two Sovereigns. 

'* The Grand Duke of Berg had in the mean 
time entered Madrid, at the head of his troops. — 
He was no sooner acquainted with the state of af- 
fairs, than he began to sow discord. He spoke in 
a mysterious manner of the abdication of the 
Crown, executed by the Royal Father in favour of 
his son amidst the tumults of Aranjuez ; and gave 
it to be understood, that until the Emperor had 
acknowledged Ferdinand VII. it was impossible for 
him to take any step that should appear like an ac- 
knowledgment, and that he must be under the ne- 
cessity of treating only with the Royal Father. 

" This pretext did not fail to produce the effect 
which the Grand Duke intended. The Royal Pa- 
rents, the moment they were informed of this cir- 
cumstance, availed themselves of it to save the Fa- 
vourite, who remained in confinement, and in whose 
favour Prince Murat professed to take an interest, 
for the sole purpose of flattering Their Majesties, 
mortifying Ferdinand VII. and sowing fresh mat- 
ter of discord between the Parents and the Son. 

*' In this state of things, the new King made his 
public entry into Madrid, without any other parade 
than the most numerous concourse of all the in- 
habitants of the capital and its environs, the strong- 



14 

est .expressions of love and loyalty, and the ap- 
plauses and acclamations which sprang from the joy 
and enthusiasm of his subjects — a scene truly grand 
and impressive, in which the young King was seen 
like a father in the midst of his children, entering 
his capital as the regenerator and guardian angel of 
the Monarchy. 

*' The Duke of Berg was an eye witness of this 
scene ; but far from abandoning his plan, he re- 
solved to persist in it with greater ardour. The 
experiment upon the Royal Parents produced the 
desired effect ; but whilst the beloved King, who 
came to the throne under such good auspices, con- 
tinued to be present, it was impossible to carry the 
plan into execution. It was, therefore, necessary 
to make every effort to remove Ferdinand VII. 
from Madrid. 

*' To accomplish this purpose, the Grand Duke 
every moment spread reports of the arrival of a fresh 
courier, with accounts of the Emperor's departure 
from Paris, and that he might be speedily expected 
to arrive in this capital. He directed his efforts in 
the first instance to induce the Infant Don Carlos 
to set off to receive His Imperial Majesty upon the 
supposition, that his Highness must meet him be- 
fore he had proceeded two days upon his journey. 
His Majesty acceded to the proposal, being influ- 
enced by the purest and most beneficent intentions. 
He had no sooner succeeded in procuring the de- 
parture of the Infant, than he manifested the most 
anxious desire that the King should do. the same, 
leaving no means untried to persuade His Majesty 
to take this step, and assuring him that it would be 
attended by the most happy consequences to the 
King and the whole kingdom. 

" At the same time that the Grand Duke of Rerg, 
the Ambassador, and all the other Agents of France, 
were proceeding in this course, they were, on the 
other side, busily employed with the Royal Parents 
to procur* from them a formal protest against the 



15 

abdic^ation of the Crown, which they had executed 
spentaneously and with the accustomed solemni- 
ties, in favour of their son and legitimate heir. 

" His Majest}'- being incessantly urged to go to 
meet the Emperor, painfully hesitated between the 
necessity of performing an act of courtesy to his 
ally, which he was assured would be attended with 
such advantageous results, and his reluctance to a- 
bandoa his loyal and beloved people under such 
critical circumstances. 

" In this embarassing situation, I can assert, that 
my constant opinion, as the King's Minister, was» 
that His Majesty should not leave his Capital until 
he received certain information that the Emperor 
was already arrived in Spain, and was approaching 
Madrid ; and that even then, he should only pro- 
ceed to a distance so short as not to render it ne- 
cessary to sleep one night out of his capital. 

*' His Majesty for some days persisted in the re- 
solution of not quitting Madrid until he received cer- 
tain advice of the Emperor's approach ; and he 
would have probably continued in that determina- 
tion, had not the arrival of General Savary added 
greater weight to the reiterated solicitations of the 
Grand Duke, and the Ambassador Beauharnois. 

'* General Savary was announced as Envoy from 
the Emperor, and in that capacity demanded an au- 
dience from His Majesty, which was immediately 
granted. At this audience he professed that he was 
sent by the Emperor merely to compliment His 
Majesty, and to know whether his sentiments with 
respect to France, were conformable to those of 
the King his father, in which case the Emperor 
would forego all consideration of what had passed, 
would in no degree interfere in the internal con- 
cerns of the kingdom, and would immediately re- 
cognize His Majesty as King of Spain and the In- 
dies. 

"The most satisfactory answer was given to Ge- 
neral Savary, and the conversation was continued in 



16 

terms so flattering, that nothing more could have 
been desired. The audience terminated with an 
assurance upon his part, that the Emperor had al- 
reaily left Paris, that he was near Bayonne, and on 
his way to Madrid. 

*' Scarcely had he left the Audience Chamber, 
when he began to make the mpst urgent applica- 
tions, to induce His Majesty to meet the Emperor, 
assuring him that this attention would be very 
grateful and flattering to His Imperial Majesty ; 
and he asserted so repeatedly, and in such positive 
terms, tnat the Emperor's arrival might be expect- 
ed every moment, that it was impossible not to 
give credit to his assertions. It was in fact very 
hard to suspect that a General, the Envoy of an, 
Emperor, should have come merely for the pur- 
pose of deception. 

" The King at length yielded to so many solici- 
tations, and so many flattering hopes and assur- 
ances ; and his love of his subjects, and ardent de- 
sire to contribute to their happiness, by putting an 
end to this dreadful crisis, triumphed in his gener- 
ous heart over every feeling of repugnance and ap- 
prehension. 

*' The day appointed for His Majesty's departure 
arrived. General Savary, affecting the most zeal- 
ous and assiduous attention to His Majesty, solicit- 
ed the honour of accompanying him on his journey, 
which at the farthest, could only extend to Burgos, 
according to the information he had just received 
of the Emperor's approach. 

" During his absence, supposed to be only for a 
few days, the King left at Madrid a Supreme Junta 
of Government, consisting of the Secretaries ot 
State, and presided over by his uncle, the most 
Serene Infant Don Antonio, in order that the ur- 
gent affairs of the Government should; be attended 
to. 

** Gfeneral Savary followed him to Burgos, in a 
separate carriage : but the Emperor not having at- 



17 

rived there, lie used every exertion to induce His 
Majesty to continue his journey as far as Vittoria. 
Various discussions arose as to the course which 
ought to be pursued ; but artifice and perfidy 
contended with honour, innocence, and good 
faith ; and, in so unequal a strife, the same 
benevolent intentions which drew his Majesty from 
his capital urged him to proceed to Vittoria. 

*' General Savary, convinced that His Majesty 
had resolved to proceed no farther, continued his 
journey to Bayonne with the intention undoubted- 
ly of acquainting the Emperor with all that had 
passed, and of procuring a letter from him which 
should determine the King to separate himself 
from his people. 

" At Vittoria His Majesty received information 
that the Emperor arrived at Bordeaux, and was on 
his way to Bayonne. In consequence of this ad- 
vice, the Infant Don Carlos, who had been wait- 
ing at Tolosa, proceeded on to Bayonne, whither 
he had been invited by the Emperor, who, howev- 
er, delayed his arrival some days longer. 

** Nothing particular occurred at Vittoria, ex- 
cept that the Supreme Junta of Government at 
Madrid having written, that the Grand Duke of 
Berg had imperiously demanded that the Favourite 
should be released, and placed in his hands. - His 
Majesty did not think proper to comply with this 
demand ; and in communicating this determina- 
tion to the Junta of Government, enjoined them to 
enter into no explanations with the Grand Duke 
respecting the fate of the prisoner (3. ) 

" In the mean time General Savary concerted 
with the Emperor in what manner they should pre- 
pare to give the finishing blow ; and while the 

(3) Every body knows that tbe prisoner was at length deliv- 
fiecl up to the French, and conducted under an escort by them 
to Bayonne. This step was solely owing to an order from the 
Junta of Government, yielding to imperious circumstances 
and the peremptorv menaces of the Grand Duke. 

c 



18 

French troops in the vicmity of Vittoria were mak- 
ing suspicious movements, he made his appearance 
in that city, with a letter to his Majesty from 
the Emperor, 

" To the contents of this letter, which were nei- 
ther flattering nor decorous. General Savary added 
so many and such vehement protestations of the 
interest which the Emperor took in the welfare of 
His Majesty, and of Spain, that he even went so 
far as to say, " I will suffer my head to be cut off, 
if within a quarter of an hour of your Majesty's ar- 
rival at Bayonne, the Emperor shall not have recog- 
nized you as King of Spain and the Indies. To 
support his own consistency, he will probably be- 
gin by giving you the title of Highness, but in five 
minutes he will give you that of Majesty, and in 
three days every thing will be settled, and your 
Majesty may return to Spain immediately." 

*' His Majesty, however, hesitated as to the 
course which he should take ; but anxious to re- 
deem the pledge which he had given, and, above 
all, to relieve his beloved subjects from the cruel 
anxiety in which they were ; he banished from 
his heart every apprehension of danger, and shut 
his ears agaiiist my counsels, and those of other 
persons in his train, as well as to the supplications 
of that loyal city, and determined to proceed to 
Bayonne ; his royal mind being incapable of sus- 
pecting that a Sovereign, his Ally, should invite 
him as a guest, for the purpose of making him a 
prisoner, and of putting an end to a dynasty, which, 
so far from having offended him, had given him so 
many striking proofs of its friendship. 

*' Scarcely had his Majesty set foot on'the French 
territory, when he remarked that no one came to 
receive him, until, at his arrival at St. Jean de Luz, 
the Mayor made his appearance, attended by the 
Municipality. The carriage stopped, and he ad- 
dressed his Majesty with the most lively expres- 
sions of the joy he felt at having the honour of be- 



19 

ing the first to receive a King, who was the friend 
and ally of France. 

" Shortly after, he was met by the Deputation of 
the three Grandees of Spain, who had been sent of 
to meet the Emperor ; and their representation, 
with respect to the intentions of the Emperor, was 
not the most flattering. He was, however, now too 
near Bayonne to think of changing his course, and 
he therefore continued his journey. 

*♦ There came out to meet the King, the Prince 
of Neufchatel and Duroc, Marshal of the Palace, 
with a detachment of the Guard of Honour, which 
the citizens of Bayonne had formed to attend the 
Emperor, and they invited His Majesty to enter 
Bayonne, where a place had been prepaied for his 
residence. This residence appeared to all, and was, 
in reality, but little suitable to the rank of the au- 
gust guest, who was to occupy it. This remarka- 
ble and expressive neglect formed a singular con- 
trast with the studied magnificence, which the King 
had employed in making the preparations at Madrid 
for the reception of his ally. 

*' His Majesty was doubting what could be the 
meaning of a reception that he so little expected, 
when he was informed that the Emperor was com- 
ing to pay him a visit. His Imperial Majesty ar- 
rived, accompanied by a number of his Generals. 
The King went down to the street-door to receive 
him,.ik»d both Monarchs embraced each other with 
every token of friendship and affection. The Em- 
peror staid but a short time with His Majesty, and 
they embraced each other again at parting. 

*' Soon after, Marshal Duroc came to invite the 
King to dine with His Imperial Majesty, whose 
carriages were coming to convey His Majesty to 
the Palace of Marac ; this accordingly took place, 
The Emperor came as far as the coach- steps to re- 
ceive His Majesty, embraced him again, and led 
him by the hand to the apartment provided for him. 
** The King had no sooner returned to his resi- 



20 

dence, then Gen. Savary waited on His Majesty to 
inform him, that the Emperor had irrevocably de- 
termined that the Bourbon dynasty should no long- 
er reign in Spain ; that it should be succeeded by 
his; and therefore His Imperial Majesty required 
that the King should, in his own name, and that of 
all his family, renounce the Crown of Spain and the 
Indies, in favour of the dynasty of Bonaparte. 

" It would be difficult to describe the surprise 
with which the royal mind of his Majesty was af- 
fected, and the consternation with which all those 
who were nearest his person were struck at hearing 
such a proposition. His Majesty was not yet re- 
covered from the fatigues of a toilsome journey, 
when the same man who had made him so many 
protestations of security at Madrid, and on the 
road, who had drawn him from his capital and his 
kingdom to Bayonne, on pretence of adjusting mat- 
ters of the greatest importance to both States, and 
of his being recognized by His Imperial Majesty, 
had the audacity to be the bearer of so scandalous 
a proposal. 

*' On the following day, I was sent for by the 
Emperor to his Royal Palace, where I found the 
Minister of Foreign Affairs, M. Champagny, w^ait- 
ing to enter upon a discussion ofthe proposals verb- 
ally stated by General Savary. I instantly com- 
plained of the perfidy witii which so important an 
affair was proceeded in ; representing that the King 
my master came to Bayonne, relying on the assur- 
ances given by Gen. Savary, in the name of the 
Emperor, and in the presence of the Dukes del In- 
fantado, S. Carlos, D. Juan Escoiquiz, and myself, 
that His Imperial Majesty would recognize him at 
the very first interview between the two Sovereigns, 
in the Imperial Palace of Marac ; that when His 
Majesty expected to witness the realization of this 
promised recognition, he was surprized with the 
propositions above alluded to ; and that His Ma- 
jesty had authorized me to protest against the vio- 



21 

lence done to his person, in not permitting him to 
return to Sp ain ; and as a categorical and final an- 
swer to the solicitation of the Kmperor, that the 
King neither would nor could renounce his Crown 
in favour of another dynasty, without being want- 
ing in the duties which he owed to his subjects and 
to his own character ; that he could not do so in 
prejudice to the individuals of his own family, who 
were called to the succession by the fundamental 
laws of the kingdom ; and much less could he con- 
sent to the establishment of another dynasty, which 
ought alone to be called to the throne by the Span- 
ish nation, in virtue of their original right to elect 
another family, upon the termination of the present 
dynasty. 

" The Minister of Foreign Affairs insisted on the 
necessity of the renunciation which had been pro- 
posed, and contended, that the abdication signed 
by Charles IV. on the 19th of March, had not been 
voluntary. 

'* I expressed my surprise that the King should 
be importuned to renounce his crown, at the same 
moment that it was asserted that the renunciation 
of his father was not his free act. I wished, however, 
not to be understood as entering into such a dis- 
cussion, as I could not acknowledge the smallest 
authority in the Emperor to intermeddle with mat- 
ters which were purely domestic, and peculiarly be- 
longing to the Spanish Government ; following in 
this respect the example of the Cabinet of Paris, 
when it rejected, as inadmissible, the applications 
of His Majesty, the Royal Father, in favour of his 
ally and first cousin, the unfortunate Louis XVI. 

'* Nevertheless, desirous of giving to truth and 
innocence a testimony which they alon» hud a right 
to exact, I added, that three weeks before the dis- 
turbance at Aranjuez, Charles IV. in my presence, 
and that of all the other Ministers of state, address- 
ed Her Majesty, the Queen, in these words : 

" Maria Louisa, we will retire to one ofthcprovin- 



22 

ces, where we will pass our days in tranquillity ; 
and Ferdinand, who is a young man, will take upon 
himself the burden of the Government." 

*♦ I represented to him, that, on the 17th, 18th, 
and 19th, no violence was done to His Majesty, in 
order to extort an abdication of his Crown, either by 
the people who had risen purely from the apprehen- 
sion that His Majesty was going to remove to Seville, 
and thence to America ; or on the part of his son, 
the Prince of Asturias, or any other persons ; of 
which facts the Ministers of the Corps Diplomati- 
que^ as well as all the persons about the Court, were 
fully convinced, since all of them congratulated and 
complimented the new Sovereign, with the excep- 
tion of the French Ambassador, who pretended that 
he had not been furnished with the necessary in- 
structions, disregarding the example of his col- 
leagues, who were as little provided with instruc- 
tions from their respective courts. 

" I concluded with proving to him, that the re- 
nunciation of the Royal Father was only the con- 
sequence of His Majesty'^ predilection for the tran- 
quillity of a private life, and his persuasion that 
his constitution, enfeebled by age and habitual in- 
disposition, was incompetent to support the heavy 
burden of the government. 

" This irrelevant objection having been got rid 
of, Mr. Champagny stated, that the Emperor could 
never be sure of Spain, in case of a new war with 
the Powers of the North, while the Spanish nation 
continued to be governed by a dynasty, who must 
regret to see its elder branch expelled from the mo-. 
narchy of France. 

*' I answered, that in a regular system ot things, 
such prepossessions never prevailed over the interests 
of States, and that the political conduct of Charles 
IV. since the treaty of Basle, afforded a recent proof 
that Sovereigns paid little regard to family interests, 
when they were in opposition to the interests of 
their dominions ; that the friendship between Spain 



and France was founded in local and political con- 
siderations : that the topographical situation of the 
two kingdoms was of itself sufficient to demonstrate 
how important it was for Spain to preserve a good 
understanding with France, the only State on the 
Continent of Europe with which she had direct and 
very extensive relations, and consequently that every 
reason of policy induced Spain to maintain a perpe- 
tual peace with France. Besides, what ground of 
suspicion had the Emperor with respect to a nation, 
who, to considerations of interest, add the inflexible 
and religious integrity with which, at all periods, 
according to the admission of French writers them- 
selves, they had preserved their federative system ? 
*' 1 added, that there were reasons no less impor- 
tant, why France should not endanger the continu- 
ance of that harmony which prevailed since the 
treaty of Basle, with equal advantage to herself and 
to Sp^in ; that the Spanish nation, whose genero- 
sity and affection for their Sovereigns were prover- 
bial, if from a principle of fidelity they had submit- 
ted to the caprices of despotism, when covered with 
the veil of Majesty, would from the operation of the 
same principle, display their well known valour, 
when they saw their independence and the security 
of their beloved Sovereign violated ; that if, unfor- 
tunately, France should commit so atrocious an in- 
sult, that power would lose an ally, whose armies, 
fleet and treasure, had in a great measure contribut- 
ed to her triumphs ; that England, which had in 
vain attempted to shake the good faith of the Span- 
ish Cabinet, for the purpose of separating her from 
France, would avail herself of such a conjuncture 
to diminish the force of her enemy, and to augment 
her own, by pacific relations with a power which 
she would assist uith money and with her forces by 
land and sea, in the glorious enterprize of defending 
our -independence and the security of our King and 
natural Lord ; that the feeble colonies of France 
would not in that event find the maritime forces of 



Spain employed in obstructing the plans of conquest 
entertained by Great Britain ; and that the com* 
merce of that power must inevitably come into com- 
petition at the Spanish market with the French mer- 
chandize, which is now peculiarly favoured. ^ 
*' Besides these considerations, having a direct 
relation to the interests of both States, I expatiated 
on others no less cogent, and connected with the 
character of the French Cabinet. 

*' I reminded the Minister, that, on the 27th of 
October last, a treaty was signed at Fontainbleau, 
wherein the Emperor guaranteed the independence 
and integrity of the Spanish Monarchy as it then 
was ; that nothing had since occurred which could 
justify its infraction : on the contrary, that Spain 
had continued to add nev/ claims to the confidence 
and gratitude of the French Empire, as His Impe- 
rial Majesty himself had confessed, by the praises 
which he bestowed on the good faith and constant 
friendship of his intimate and first ally. 

" What confidence, I added, can Europe place in 
her treaties with France, when she looks to the per- 
fidy with which that of the 27th of October has been 
violated ? And what must be her terror when she 
sees the captious means, the seductive artifices, and 
the false promises, by which His Imperial Majesty 
has confined the King in the city of Bayonne, in 
order to desppil him of the Crown, to which, with 
the inexpressible joy of his people, he has been 
called by the fundamental laws of the kingdom, and 
the spontaneous abdication of his august father. 
Posterity will not believe that the Emperor could 
have given so great a blow to his own reputation, 
the loss of which will leave no other means of con- 
cluding a war with him, than that of total destruc- 
tion and extermination. 

" This was the state of the discussion, when the 
Emperor, who had overheard our conference, or- 
dered us to enter his own Cabinet, where, to my 
great surprise, I was insulted by His Imperial Ma- 



25 

jesty, with the infamous appellation of traitor, upon 
no other c^round, than that having been Minister to 
Charles IV., I continued to serve his son Ferdinand 
VII. He also accused me, in an angry tone, of 
having maintained, in an official conference with 
General Montion, that my Master, in order to his 
being King of Spain, did not stand in need of the 
recognition of the Emperor, although that might be 
necessary, in order to continue his relations with 
the French Government. 

*' His Imperial Majesty manifested still greater 
irritation on account of my having said to a foreign 
Minister, accredited to the Court of Spain, that if 
the French army offered any violation to the integ- 
rity and independence of the Spanish Sovereignty, 
300,000 men would convince them that a brave and 
generous nation was not to be insulted with impu- 
nity. 

*' After this ill treatment which I met with, which 
was as satisfactory to my own feelings, on account 
of the real causes of it, as it was painful on account 
of the Royal Personage whose interests were in 
question. His Imperial Majesty, with his natural as- 
perity, entered into a conversation upon tlie points 
which had already been discussed. He was not in- 
sensible of the strength of my reasons, and the so- 
lidity of the arguments by which I supported the 
rights of the King, his dynasty, and the whole na- 
tion ; but His Majesty concluded by telling me, 
" / ha'dc a system of policy of my own. Ton ought 
to adopt more liberal ideas ; tQ be less susceptible on 
the point of honour^ and fwt sacrifice the prosperity of 
Spain to the interest of the Bourbon family.'''' 

" His Majesty, distrusting the apparent compla- 
cency with which I received the attention which he 
was pleased to shew me, as I was taking leave of 
him, sent to inform tne King, that upon the subject 
under discussion, a more flexible negociator would 
be nccessarv. Whilst His Majesty was considering 
D 



26 

■whom he should appoint to succeed me in this ne- 
gociation, one of the many puppets who played 
their parts in this intrigue, introduced himself to 
the Archdeacon D. Juan de Escoiquiz, and per- 
suaded him to pay a visit to the Minister Champag- 
ny. He accordingly went, under the impulse of a 
most zealous regard for the interests of His Majesty, 
and prevailed on the Minister of Foreign Affairs, to 
communicate to him the most recent propositions 
of the Emperor, which the said Seignor Escoiquiz 
immediately put into writing. 

" In this state of things, His Majesty, impressed 
with the qualities which adorn the most excellent 
Seignor, l)on Pedro de Labrador, formerly Minis- 
ter to the Court of Florence, and Honorary Coun- 
sellor of State, invested him with full powers and 
suitable instructions, ordering him to present them 
to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and to demand 
his full powers in return, and that the proposals of 
his Imperial Majesty should be communicated in 
an authentic manner. Both those demands were re- 
jected by the Minister Champagny, under the friv- 
olous pretext, that" theywere mere matters of form, 
being vjkolly unconnected with the essential object of 
the negociaiicn.'''' 

" Svignor Labrador insisted on the importance of 
both the one and the other requisites, especially in 
a matter of such great consequence, adding, that 
without them he could discuss no subject, and that 
the King his master required them to vary the in- 
structions, if necessary, that had been given him, 
but always in vain. Islotwithstanding this, Seignor 
Champagny talked of the last propositions of the 
Emperor, which were somewhat different from 
those presented by General Savary, but not less 
irritating and violent ; and he concluded with tell- 
ing Seignor Labrador that the prosperity of Spain 
and his own were at that moment within his power. 

'' This Minister answered that he would commu- 



27 

iiicate to the King his master these new proposals. 
He made those reflections upon them which his ta- 
lents, his zeal for the service of his Sovereign, and 
for the good of his country, naturally suggested ; 
and he stated that the welfare of his Sovereign, and 
th.nt of the nation, were inseparably united. He 
added, that to these two objects he had directed all 
his attention in various situations ; and, lastly, lie 
said, that he readily admitted that his own prosperity 
depended on the issue, because his fidelity to the 
King of Spain, and to his native country, as well as 
the reputation he had acquired by the faithful dis- 
charge of his duty, were connected with it. Seignor 
Labrador, before he terminated the conversation, 
asked M. Champagny if the King was in a state of 
liberty ? To which the French Minister replied, 
that there could be no doubt of it. On this La- 
brador rejoined, ' Then he should be restored to 
his kingdom.' To this the Frenchman replied, 
' that, in respect to his return to Spain, it was ne- 
cessary that His Majesty should have a right under- 
standing with His Imperial Majesty, either person- 
ally or by letter. 

" This answer, added to the other circumstances, 
left no doubt in the mind of the King, that he was 
actually at Bayonne in a state of arrest ; however, to 
give more ostensibility to this violence extended 
towards His Majesty, 1 sent a note by his Royal or- 
order, to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, telling 
him that the King was determined to return to 
Madrid, to tranquillize the agitation of his beloved 
subjects, and to provide for the transaction of the 
important business of his kingdom ; assuring M. 
Champagny at the same time, that I would continue 
to treat with His Imperial Majesty, on atfairs re- 
ciprocally advantageous. No answer was given to 
this communication, nor had it any other effect 
than to increase the caution and vigilance before 
applied for the detention of His Majesty. 



28 

** Seignor Labrador was certainly not a fit person 
for their purposes, for he was immediiitely got rid 
of, under the pretence of his not holdingj a rank cor- 
responding to that of Monsieur Champagny, and 
that his natural disposition was too inflexible. 

" The tricks of diplomacy could no: prevail over 
the firmness of the King, or the zeal of his repre- 
sentatives, and the individuals of his Royal House- 
hold, v.ho deliberated at a Council (His Majestv be- 
ing present,) upon the interests of the King and the 
nation ; so that the Emperor saw himself mid^r the 
necessity of changing his plan, in order to accom- 
plish his purpose, and he wished that the Royal Pa- 
rents should depart for Bayonne, in order to make 
them the instruments of the oppression and dis- 
grace of their son. For this purpose he ordered the 
Grand Duke of Berg to employ all his arts to acce- 
lerate their ^ournev to Bavonne. 

" The Royal Parents required, that the Favour- 
ite should precede them in their journey, and the 
Grand Duke made various applications to the Junta 
of Government to obtain his liberty. The Junta 
had no authority to liberate him, having in this 
point been laid under positive restraint by His Ma- 
jesty's orders from Vittoria, as has been already 
mentioned ; but the Council, misled by the sug- 
gestions of His Imperial Majesty, and intimidated 
by the threat tliat the Gi-andDuke would obtain by 
irresistible force what would not be conceded as a 
favour, the Junta ordered the release of Don Ma- 
nuel Godoi, who was immediately conveyed to Ba- 
yonne, under an adequate escort. The decree 
in the hand-writing of the king, is an authentic 
proof of the determination of his Majesty as to this 
particular. 

" The Royal Parents undertook their journey, 
and proceeded in it with too much rapidity for the 
unhappy state of health of Charles IV. but the in- 
exorable will of the Emperor had determined tliat 
it should be so. 



29 

" What His Imperial Majesty undertook was a 
most arduous task. It was necessary to his pur- 
pose to deaden the sensibility of the king ; to de- 
stroy his affection for his first-bom, wh«ch the most 
infamous Coiirt intrigue ever eontrived, had not 
yet wholly extinguished. Further, it was neces- 
sary-, that these loving parents, affectionate to some 
of their children, should, with respect to him, sub- 
stitute for their natural tenderness the most frigid 
and cruel indifference. To fulfil the purpose in- 
tended by Napoleon, in the end, with respect to 
the Royal Parents, they must become the instru- 
ments of miser}-, correction and imprisonment ; 
they were to become the jailors of the'u" children. — 
His power, by trampling over all the feelings of 
nature, accomplishea his purposes. 

" I have proved that the abdication of the Royal 
Father at Aranjuez was a spontaneous act, and 
that the motive to it was the partiality of His Ma- 
jesty towards his disgraced Favourite. In Bayonne, 
he told the King, his son, that he did riOt wish to 
return to the throne of Spain ; notwithstanding that, 
he desired His Majestv- should renounce the Crown, 
to make a present of it to the Emperor ; that is, to 
present it to a Sovereign, who, in part at least, has 
been the origin of the difiiculties of Spain, the only 
cause of the loss of our Squadrons, the mover of 
the disturbances at Court and in the nation, and of 
the intended journey of the Royal Family to Seville, 
and from thence to America, prevented by the ex- 
plosion of the 17th of March. 

" I leave to the wisdom of the Sovereigns of Eu- 
rope to judge, whether it be possible .that a Mo- 
narch, affectionate to his children, highly enlight- 
ened, penetrated deeply by the principles of re- 
ligion, and pious without superstition, could with- 
out violence forget for a moment all his duties to 
his family, and proscribe his whole dynasty, to call 
another to the throne, for whom he has no esteem, 
and, on the contrary detests, as the plunderer ot 



50 

tliose thrones which have come within the reach 
of his ambition. If such be thp change, it is the 
most extraordinary revolution that history has pre- 
sented to the world. 

" Ferdinand VII., over-awed, a prisoner, and 
controuled by circumstances, on the first of May 
made a conditional renunciation of his crown, in 
favour of his august Father. To this followed 
the letter of the Royal Father to his Son, and the 
very discreet answer of the Royal Son to the 
Father. 

*' On the 5th of the same month of May, at four 
in the afternoon, the Emperor went to visit the 
Royal Parents, and continued in conference until 
five o'clock, when King Ferdinand was called in 
by his august Father to hear, in the presence of th^. 
Queen and the Emperor, expressions so disgusting 
and humiliating, that I do not dare to record them. 
All the party were seated except King Ferdinand, 
whom the Father ordered to make an absolute re- 
Bunciation of the Crown, under pain of being treat- 
;€d, with all his household, as an usurper of the 
throne, and a conspirator against the life of his 
parents. 

*' His Majesty would have preferred death ; but 
desirous not to involve in his misfortunes the num- 
ber of persons comprised in the threat of Charles 
IV. he assented to another renunciation, which 
bears on its front all the indications of constraint 
and violence, and which in no respect answers its 
purpose, to colour over the intended usurpation of 
the Emperor. 

" These are the only instances of renunciation 
in which I have interfered, as Minister and Secre- 
tary of State. That which is spoken of at Bour- 
deaux, I have not the least knowledge of ; but I 
know the Emperor, in the last conference with 
King Ferdinand VII. said to his Majesty, " Prince^ 
il fault opter entre la cession et la mort. — " Prince, 
you hai}c only to choose between cession and death^^"* 



51 

" With respect to the rest, the whole world is 
apprised, that Charles IV. renounced the crown to 
the Fmperor at the time that the Prince of Astu-^ 
rias, his brother the Infant Don Carlos, and his 
uncle the Infant Don Antonio, were forced to sur- 
render their rights. The Emperor, now believing 
himself proprietor of the Crown of Spain, placed it 
on the head of his brother Joseph Napoleon, King 
of Naples. 

*' It has already been explained, that although 
the King left his Court for a few days, he thought 
fit to sanction a Junta, of which the Infant Don 
Antonio was to be President, with full powers to 
determine for him and in his Royal name all sub- 
jects that would not permit of delay. Every night 
1 sent a courier to this Junta, communicating what 
appeared necessary for its information and direc- 
tion. 

" When the King arrived at Bayonne {and on 
the day of his arrival, the ambitious and violent in- 
tentions of the Emperor were communicated to 
him) I began to fear that the extraordinary couriers 
would be intercepted, as was found to be the fact. 
Among the various disputes that I had with the 
Minister Champagny, on the different accidents 
that occasioned the detention of the Cabinet Cou- 
riers, the answer that he gave me to a remonstrance 
of mhie is sufficiently remarkable. It is to be seen 
among the documents in justification to this situa- 
tion of things, I took the precaution of sending du- 
plicates by different conveyances. By such means 
I succeeded so far as to give information to the 
Junta of Government of the arrest and oppression 
to which the King had been exposed. 

" It was easy to foresee 'that the freedom of the 
Junta would not be respected, since, notwithstand- 
ing all the offers and assurances of the Emperor, 
the liberty of the Sovereign was violated at Bay- 
onne ; and that the noble designs of some Mem- 
bers of the same Assembly would be obstructed 



32 

(although boldly declared,) by the irresistible pow- 
er of the representative of the Emperor. To this, 
no doubt, is to be attributed their not having* con- 
sulted upon the awful condition of the kingdom, and 
the remedy for such a calamity, as well as not hav- 
ing appointed a Junta to assume the Regency, in a 
place where the bayonets of the enemy could not 
penetrate. 

" The King was surprised, that the Junta had 
not written ; and the following post, when His Ma- 
jesty had come to a determination in consequence, 
without losing a moment, I sent a Royal order to 
the Junta, that they should execute Vihateiier was 
expedient for the service of the King and the king- 
dom^and that Jor that purpose they should employ all 
the powers which His Majesty would possess if he 
were himself resident in the kingdom. (6.) 

" Nothing could be written that could be more 
intelligible. The security of the means of com- 
munication diminished every moment ; for I could 
not expect that the Emperor would regard the sa- 
credness of a cor"respondence, since he paid no re- 
spect to the person of the Sovereign to whom it 
was subservient. 

" The Junta, notwithstanding, thought it was 
necessary to consult His Majesty, and to obtain his 
orders as to various measures which appeared to 
them necessary for the salvation of the country ; 
and for this purpose they sent to Bayonne a confi- 
dential person of known zeal in the Royal service, 
to transmit verbally to the King the following pro- 
positions : — 

' 1. Whether His Majesty thought fit to authorise the Junta 
to substitute, in case of need, some person or persons of their 
own body, or otherwise, to hold a Council in 3 secure situation, 
vvhere it could freely act, and they entreated His Majesty to sip;- 
aify who should compose the Council for that purpose, should 
he think, the measure expedient ? 

(6.) The Cabinet Courier conveying this Royal Order ,v/as in- 
tercepted, on which account I sent a duplicate, which was receiv- 
ed by the Junta, the memoranduna of which I have not been able 
to preserve. 



' i. Whether it was the wish of Mis Majesty that hostilities 
should be coninienced against the French army ; and, in that 
case, when and How the purpose should be executed ? 

' 3, Whelhef it were likewise tiie wish ot the King that we 
should endeavour to prevent the entrance of more French troops 
into Spuin, by guurduig the passes on the frontiers ? 

' 4. Wlielher his Majesty thought It would be right to con- 
voke the Cortes, for which purpose a decree of His Majesty 
would be necessary, addressed to the Uoyal Council ? It being 
possible that at the arrival of tlie answer of the King, the Junta 
would not be at liberty to act, tliey asked whether any Chancery 
or Audience of the kingdom should be empowered, which was 
not within the reach of llie French troops ? Further, if the Cortes 
should be assembled, oil what subjects of discussion it should 
proceed ? 

" The person charged with these propositions ar- 
rived at Bayonne on the 4th of iMay, at night : he 
came to me immediately, and having disclosed to 
me his business, I introduced him to His Majesty 
without losing a moment. 

" The King having taken into consideration the 
four propositions submitted to his attention by the 
Junta, sent, in answer, two Royal Decrees, in the 
morning of the following day, the one written by 
His Majesty, with his own hand, directed to the 
Junta of Government : the other signed by His 
Majesty /^" To el Eey^^J addressed, in the first in- 
stance, to the Council, and next, to any Chancery 
or Audience of the Kingdom which should not be 
under restraint. 

" These original decrees, despatched by me with 
all care, and under secure conduct, it is well known 
arrived in the hands of one of the members of the 
Junta, who is now absent, and whose name was first 
mentioned ; but the Junta is apprized that he made 
no use of it, nor did he ever send to the Council 
the decree which was addressed to it. (7.) 

(7.) When these two Royal Decrees came to the hands of the 
Junta, the Grand Duke of Berg had been for some days Presi- 
dent ; and the affair of the 2d of May had taken place. The 
Emperor, after the departure of the Royal Parents, precipitate- 
ly and indecently forced from the capital all the Members of the 
Royal Family, and sent them to Bayonne. But yet he had to 
take the important step of taking complete possession of the Gov- 

K 



3i 

" The minutes of these two decrees are not in 
my possession, because the critical situation of the 
King at Bayonne, and the necessity of avoiding the 
exposition of his views, obliged me to destroy them. 
Notwithstanding this, I preserved them in my me- 
mory, and they are testified and certified by the 
three Secretaries of His Majesty, D. Eusebio Bar- 
daxi y Azara, De Luis de Onis, and D. Evaristo 
Perez de Castro, who were with me at Bayonne, 
and saw and read the two original decrees, the sub- 
stance of which is as follows : — 

" The King said to the Junta of Government 
that he was not in a state of freedom, and conse- 
quently incapable of taking any measures for the 
preservation of the Royal person and the Monarchy. 
On that account the Junta was entrusted with 
most ample powers to repair to any place that 
should be deemed most convenient ; but in the 
name of His Majesty, and representing his own 
person, they might exercise all the functions of sov- 
ereignty ; that hostilities should commence the 
moment when His Majesty should proceed to the 
interior of France, which he would not do, unless 
obliged by violence. Lastly, that in such a case, 
the Junta should prevent, in the best manner they 
could, the introduction of more troops into the 
peninsula. (8) 

*'lnthe Decree directed to the Royal Council, 
and next to any Chancery or Audience, his Majes- 
ty said, that, in the situation in which he found 
himself, deprived of his liberty, it was his Royal 

ernment, in order to which the bloody scene of the 2d of May 
was exhibited ; a scene of horror and iniquity, similar to what 
the modern French have executed in other countries with simi- 
lar designs, 

(8) The perfect agreement between the recommendation of 
the King given to the Juma,in his Royal Decree of the 5th of May, 
and the determination of his faithful vassals, is "Very remarkable. 
We have seen, that all the provinces of the Monarchy rose spon- 
taneously to resist the oppressor, without having any knowledge 
©f the will of their Sovereiarn. 



35 

will that the Cortes should be assembled in such 
place as should appear most convenient; that at 
first they should occupy themselves exclusively in 
attending to the levies and subsidies necessary for 
the defence of the kingdom, and that their sittings 
should be permanent, to determine what should be 
done on future events (9.) 

*' The disgraceful means, of which the Emperor 
availed himself to obtain the renunciation of the 
crown of Spain in his favour, have already been 
known; but the violence of Bonaparte to accom- 
plish his purposes did not terminate there. Blind- 
ed as he was by the extravagance of his ambition, 
he could yet discern how easily these acts of renun- 
ciation would be disposed of; and therefore he en- 
deavoured to confirm them by the means of a 
Council, which he called a National Assembly, and 
which was to be convoked at Bayonne. (10) 

" He named about 150 Spaniards, of different 
classes, conditions, and corporations, to constitute 
this Assembly, but only about 90 v.'ere convened. 
A part of these, representing some cities, tribunals, 
or public bodies, brought with them instructions 
in the nature of powers given them by those whom 
they represented, but wholly insufficient to answer 

(9) " We, the three Sccretarits of the King, fo.- Decrees, cer- 
tify, that we have seen and read in Bayonne, the two original 
Decrees sent by His Majesty, Teidinand VII. on the 3th of May, 
in this year, which are mentioned above, and the substance of the 
contents of them, as far as we can recollect, is the same as is here 
stated. 

« tUSl U!0 DM BARDAXl Y. AZARA. 

"LUISDKthVIb. 

"EVARISTO PLREZ DE CASTRO. 
-' Madrid, Sept. 1, 18G6." 

(10.) It is well known that this Junta was assembled at Bay- 
onne, according to printed notice given on the 19th of May, to 
treat, as it was said, of the means of securing the happiness of 
Spain, but in fact, to propose the continuance of all the evils of 
the former system, and such reforms and alterations as were 
most likely to destroy the whole country, and every province be- 
longing to it. 



36 

the purpose intended. The Ministers of the Coun- 
cil were without any powers or instructions what- 
ever, a precaution adopted by this tribunal in con- 
formity to the opinion of its commissioners, in or- 
der to avoid all involuntdry compromises. Most of 
the deputies had no other powers than merely an 
order to take their departure, and many of them did 
not belong to any public body, or acknowledged 
class of the community. 

" The Emperor fully expected, from the acqui- 
escence of these individuals, a mask under which to 
conceal his usurpation. But he was utterly de- 
ceived. Instead of finding w^eak men convenient 
to the designs of his mercenary ambition, he was 
met by Ministers incorruptible. Grandees worthy 
of their rank, and representatives who were faithful 
defenders of the interest and of the honour of their 
country. They all, with one accord, informed him 
that they held powers much restricted, that they 
were not the legitimate representatives of Spain, 
and that they could not compromise her rights. 

" These and other similar reflections were treat- 
ed with insolence in the tribunal of the Usurper, 
who, far from being discomfited, put into activity 
all the means of oppression, flattering himself that 
by victories on theone hand and corruption on the 
other, he should so colour over injustice that he 
would not be considered by the world as the sub- 
verter of general tranquillity. 

" I do not enter into the particulars that occur- 
red in this congress ; but one of the Ministers of 
the Council of Castile, who does so much honour 
to his robe, will satisfy the curiosity of the public 
as to this particular. 

"•I ought not to speak of what I have sufiered 
for my King and country ; the truth is, I have not 
suffered, for all I have done has been required by 
my most sacred duties. It was to me the highest 
satisfaction to see my lodging in Bayonne surround.^ 
ed by the sattellites of Government : to these spies 



37 

succeeded, who abound always where those are in 
authority who in history usurp the characters of he- 
roes. My steps were reckoned — my visits observ- 
ed — espionnage, under the mask of compassion, 
approached to examine the secrets of my soul ; but 
nothing disturbed the tranquillity of my mind. What 
I could not behold with patience, was to see my- 
self condemned to a conhnement within the fron- 
tier of France, until the Emperor should consider 
that my narration of the scandalous proceedings 
could not destroy the lofty fabric of the new Span- 
ish Monarchy. In vain, for two months, I applied 
to the Minister for Foreign Aftairs with the utmost 

o 

importunity to be permitted to return to my belov- 
ed country ; the determined resistance 1 made to 
the attempt of usurpation made the French Gov- 
ernment deaf to my entreaties, believing, not with- 
out good reason, that 1 should endeavour to inflame 
heroism in my country, denominated insurrection 
in the Journals of Bayonne. 

" In such unfavorable circumstances, a mode 
presented itself to me of avoiding a state of indefi- 
nite banishment. Such were the repeated entrea- 
ties of Joseph Napoleon that 1 should continue with 
him in the situation of Minister, to which 1 acceed- 
ed with repugnance and from constraint, but with 
out prejudice of my right to abandon it at a conve- 
nient opportunity. 

'* This opportunity occurred the moment I set 
foot in Madrid. From that instant I only thought 
of availing myself of the most early means of re- 
signing my new character. 

Joseph Napoleon could not be grieved at the dis- 
appearance of a Minister who so frequently opposed 
his wishes, (11) and who, in the opinion of some 

(11.) I may particularly instance the aflair of the oaths 
yvhen Joseph Bonaparte, anivir.g at Madrid, wuntttl to compel 
every body to ivvear allegiance to him ; and that oi the banish- 
ment of the Council ol" Castile to Baycnnc, for its ijcble lesibl- 
ance. 



38 

of those who immediately surrounded him, was a 
Quixote in his maxims, "who could not comprehend 
the sublime intentions of the greatest of heroes in fa- 
vour of the regeneration of Spain. 

'* I have shewn in this narrative, with clearness 
and fidelity, the series of the principal events in 
this important epoch, carefully avoiding to enter 
into minute particulars foreign to my object, or 
which should make this exposition too prolix ; and 
I have endeavored to place before my readers, in its 
true point of view, all the injustice and violence 
with which the French Government has conducted 
itself towards our beloved Sovereign, and the whole 
nation, 

*' It has already been proved, that the renuncia- 
tion of Charles IV. in favour of his son Ferdinand 
VII. is vitiated in no respect. In the slight sketch 
which we have drawn of the perfidious and deceit- 
ful arts with which the Emperor has made the pro. 
grcss we have seen, the series of atrocious insults 
offered to Spain, and to the unfortunate King Fer- 
dinand VII. remains depicted in indelible colors. 

** The Emperor alarms Charles IV. in order that 
he may induce him to take flight for America, with 
all the Royal Family, and abandon the Peninsula 
to the former : he lights up the flame of discord 
between the Royal Parents and their child, in order 
to debilitate Spain, dividing it into parties, after 
having disgraced the Royal persons ; he draws Fer- 
dinand VII. from his Court by false promises ; he 
makes him captive in Bayonne ; and when he saw 
that the virtue of the young King knew how to resist 
Ms designs, and that Ferdinand could not be indu- 
ced to renounce his Crown, he occasioned him to 
foe brought to Bayonne, with all the other persona- 
ges of the Royal Family, and to present them bound 
before the Imperial tribunal, which was both judge 
and party in the same cause. He endeavours to 
tieprive the parents of the sensibilities of nature, 
and forces them to become the instruments of the 



39 

oppression of their child. From the latter he ex- 
torts a renunciation, the most irregular and illicit 
transaction among the affairs of man ; and by a se- 
ries of abdications, exacted by the same illegal and 
violent expedients, he believes that he has become 
the proprietor of the Crown of Spain ; he transfers 
it to his brother, without considering the infamy to 
which he would be exposed in the Cabinets of Eu- 
rope, by the usurpation of the throne of a Monarch, 
his friend and all y. 

" Who can doubt, from this clear evidence, that 
the renunciation executed by Ferdinand VII. in fa- 
vour of his august father, and that which succeeded 
in favour of the Emperor are absolute nullities ? 
Who will doubt, but that if the last should have e- 
manated from a free exercise of the will, the rights 
of the dynasty of Bourbon are not prejudiced by it? 
Who does not know, that in case of the extinction 
of such a family, and by the very establishment of 
the Spanish monarchy, the nation alone can invite 
another dynasty, or can introduce such a form of 
Government as it shall most approve ? 

" In another part of this narrative, I have shewn 
that Ferdinand VII, was too honourable to suppose 
that the Emperor could entertain such atrocious 
designs. The King desired to free Spain from the 
oppression of the French troops ; it was promised 
him, that this and all other matters should be regu- 
lated with the Emperor, and that he should return 
to his kingdom with the fruit of his exertions for 
the good of his vassals ; and no hour of his life 
was unseasonable to him to exert himself for their 
happiness. This I saw and can testify. During 
his confinement, nothing afflicted his generous 
heart so much as the sufferings of his people ; and 
when his liberty began to be doubtful, he adopted 
the means the most agreeable to his paternal solici- 
tude : such was the order he gave for the regency, 
naturally sought, when his freedom was interrup- 
ted ; and such was the command that the Cortes 



40 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

019 626 163 1 



should be assembled to determine those questions, 
which in their proper places have been noticed. 

'* Valour and patriotism have successfully armed 
the whole nation in its own defence, and for the 
protection of their legitimate Sovereign, akhough 
the people had }io knowledge of the will of their 
beloved Ferdinand as to this movement. That 
patriotism, united to wisdom, v^^ill now impel them 
irresistibly to perform with promptitude the most 
important work of the Central Government or Re- 
gency, which may administer the affairs of the 
kingdom in the name of His Majesty; 

" Thus will be completed, for the advantage of 
all, the last expression of the will of the King, 
which he condescended to use the moment before 
he was forced to renounce the Crown ; thus will 
the nation be preserved from this dreadful tempest ; 
it will have exhibited before Europe, an example 
of loyalty, honour, and generous energy, which 
will be the subject of admiration in every age. and 
in every country. 

PEDRO CEVALLOS." 

*< Madrid, Sept. I, 1808. 



LIBRPIRY OF CONGRESS 



019 626 163 1 • 



Hollinger Corp. 
pH 8.5 



